I felt like so bad after buying sooooo much stuff in Oxford Street, London. I think I went into a head space that had no comprehension of the words Money/Budget/Frugal/Student/Poor!

This song just says it all really!

What makes it worse that since I mainly shop in the ‘cheaper’ store…which aren’t cheap anymore…I didn’t even look at the prices..so I bought everything.

My mind diluted:’But Samzie, its Autumn/Winter season and you need to look fierce’

My LSE mind (lol): ‘But Samzie, what happened to the savings plan, and wearing what you already have’

My Tempted mind: ‘But Samzie…you need a generous Boyfriend/Friend that feels obliged to maintain you!’

lol but seriously this Can’t be happening… I’m taking practical steps by only using cash and leaving my (main) bank card out of reach

I’m gonna have to re-watch this Video below that has some VERY good advice about handling money, and offers up what the Bible has to say about such things. They have a blog tooooo! www.ChristianChickz.blogspot.com

XXX

A.Samzie

THIS CAN'T BE ME!!!!!!

I will finish my Law degree in 2012, do a training contract and qualify (eventually) but since I want to be a diplomat this is the kind of starting salary(which increases ridiculously) I may be missing…..  for now>>>  Link

To get such an opportunity to be swimming in cash at such a young age all you have to do is… 

*Get a high 2:1, preferably a 1st class degree

*internships, Internships, Internships

*Know the right people…or force such relationships during internships and well-to-do friends lol

*Be ‘commercially aware’….read the Economist lol

*Finally, Sweat confidence!

XXX

A.Samzie

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Not to be condescending….but this search for ‘swagger’ is more than amusing. (written whilst in extreme culture shock lol)

I’ve been informed by my teenage cousins, who reside here in Uganda, that ‘swagger’ means to be the ‘Big Man’ around town or the ‘IT’ girl! They also admitted that it’s all about the songs.

Young Ugandan’s seem to have re-established the terms to incorporate Jamaican and American Culture. I know the Jamaican part is a bit random, but since this is East Africa, ties to the Great Selasi are hard to break down and are now to be found in youth culture.

Clearly, American music has indoctrinated MANY of us to believe in this thing called ‘Swag’, a physical manifestation of the slang verb ‘cool’. It’s something we all have to have right?, then people will admire us… yes? Then what? The debate has always been that young Africa is copying the ‘Western world’ in various capacities. Either mocking the privileged part of the world, or aspiring to be included and bridging the gap between the developing and the developed. The strongest argument has been that young people in particular take whatever is being flaunted in front of them by the media and adapt it to have meaning in their own subculture. So far I have witnessed this urge to be apart of something bigger and within and beyond this country and conversations I have always turn into question-answer sessions of ways to get to the US or a series of  put-downs concerning any suggestion that the outside world has anything real to offer other than simply selling an unattainable dream.

On the other hand, I’m still trying to get to grips with this Jamaican thing! To have dreadlocks in my culture is to be a true rebel of society. Most of the popular Ugandan musicians have dreadlocks and imitate reggae/dancehall type music bursting with patois, mixed with a sort of Ugandan/American/Jamaican accent…Random.

XXX

A.Samzie

Hair Shots!

My blog stays on my mind, but bringing myself to get started is an issue, so I put it off for such a long time now I’m having to explain myself!  I could not really blog the way that I wanted to while I was in Africa, and trust me I had so many urgent stories that I was forced to condense into 140 Characters on Twitter.. But BLAH I’m back.

I feel like after leaving Africa, this blog was almost aimless.. :-s but if this is supposed to be documenting my ambitious journey to the top (and hopefully encourage others to do so too) then I might as well get serious, blog as often as possible and also write about things going on in my life in general which you may or may not find interesting but I’m putting it out there into the Inter-web so blaaaaaaaah

Since I’ve been back from Africa

*Was at home doing nothing for a while, trying to figure out how I lost so much weight

*I have been putting off my project report..which is now due in 1 week, and the presentation in 2 weeks EEEEEKKKKKKK!

*Back at work, in Harrods ltd!

*Upgraded my life with a new Macbook!! woooo

*Catching up with friends which means>>>>*Going out EVERY weekend!

*Getting really involved with Red 11, a British Red Cross Leadership program I was chosen for

*Working out how to deal with life

Good times…I shall expand on certain things soon enough but in the mean time Check out the Wig I made Above!!!!-YEEAH GIRL

I’ll leave you with this OVER PLAYED SONG whilst I was in UG(anda)

xxx

A.Samzie

1. The moment that takes the cake was to wake up to find a relative in my room at 6am asking me for money!

That was a wake up call and a half. I was actually quite angry firstly because I love my sleep and was woken up for what? Money? I was pissed. I felt so unwelcome in a place that I am supposed to call home. I guess it also brought the realization that people are quite desperate over here and have had to overcome that sense of pride to just ask for some help because as you know…you don’t ask…you don’t get!

2. Unrecognizable Kampala

I jumped off the plane in the morning so instead of sitting around the house while all my relatives stared at me I went into town with my cousins. Wasn’t that a bad idea! There we sooooo many people! Too many…actually I was more than overwhelmed. Traffic was crazy, fear of being a victim of crime was installed into me by my family members as townspeople got a bit too close, merchandise was on every inch of the pavement..a pavement that is shared with the ‘boda boda’ or the motorbike taxi’s. It was a lot to take in and I honestly had no sense of direction nothing looked familiar in fact and I guess that came the reality check that the thing that I call independence had been surrendered at Heathrow airport. I can’t do anything or go anywhere alone or at my whim, but I’m thankful for my family otherwise I doubt I would leave the house.

3. The work placement

Since this is a working holiday, I wanted to make sure that I had a daily schedule, because to be honest being idle in Uganda is just so depressing and having had just a few days of it, I am itching to have something to do! So today I woke up early, made effort to look my best, dressed well and headed off to the office of a certain organization I was to be working with. I was told to be there 9am SHARP to start. Can you believe I got there on time but the person, let’s call her Denise, made us wait and wait…and wait some more(by the way we did contact her. She answered the phone with a ‘what!?’ she was so rude I had to laugh. Then she just decided she was going to be late and that was it). After an hour I was out of there. On to the next one.

4. Pork joints galore

There seems to be some obsession with Pork meat. Every corner, every street is a pork joint buzzing with men after work hours devouring what can be described as only FAT like a guilty prize. I happen to have been twice. Sitting there on improvised stools waiting for the guy in the wooden hut to fry up the meat with professionalism and charm. Then it arrives. The short lived happiness it brings rubbed off on me too…the meat was even more tasty due to the fact that our being at this pork joint was our secret…until next time when we shall sneak off and return.

5. Random sights
- Extremely young looking prostitutes wearing platform versions of Cinderella’s glass slippers
-At the Ugandan basketball league game, Sprite’s sponsorship was taken too far when even the athletes were drinking sprite as their half-time refreshments!
-The random power cuts means walking in the dark and falling into pot-holes every now and again
-They say there is drought in East Africa but it is raining everyday
-My mosquito bites
-An increased presence of Ugandan police everywhere
-I’m still quite baffled to see my grandparents, who happen to be in their 90′s, wrinkle-free and with ridiculous amounts of energy. It has truly been a blessing!

I’m not sure what I think of Uganda yet, let me not make too many premature judgements but I wanted the real Africa and I got it.

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What do you know about Fela Kuti? I knew nothing…ignorance is not bliss I was missing out. So i literally got a history lesson minutes before the show started.

Nigeria, Jazz, AFRO BEAT, Liberation, Human rights Activism, High-Life

Then the Show began………….. O_O

The energy is overwhelming, the dancing-AGH- there’s just so much passion involved I really wish I was on that stage. The only part that was a downer for me was towards the end when the lady that play’s Fela’s mother was singing a depressing song that just didn’t end. so 4.5/5 stars

Easily the best show I’ve seen at the theatre, and now It’s BACK in London I really don’t care I’m watching it again and you show go enlighten your life and buy tickets>>>> click here tickets range from £15-50 20th July-28th August.

I’m can’t even deny it, I’m a theatre geek. The last show I saw before this was on WestSide Story on Broadway, NY last summer which was amazingness beyond everything (mainly the dancing)!! I love. LOVE musicals and plays. I LOVE the live atmosphere, the genuine and expected-maybe rehearsed-reactions, the elegant recoveries from mistakes. The rush I get is incredible. Plus living in London the shows are on my doorstep! HOWEVER, this student life does not accommodate this love. The good seats range from £35-70 and I never settle for the crappy seats like a good ol’ spoilt brat

The real Fela Kuti

My last encounter of Sub-Saharan Africa was almost 10 years ago( I lie I was in South Africa in 2007 and I lived there for 3 years before that but for some reason MY encounters in South Africa havn’t….dare I say it…been very African?? I already feel like I take that statement back but that’s how I feel), I’m so thankful I will be going back next month. Imagine my facial expression of excitement with a hint of scepticism, assumptions and more excitement…this is my current statement. I’m a bit afraid of myself, and my reactions. When in the world was the last time that I did the traditional thing and knelt down to an elder as a sign of respect. HA! that went out of the window years ago and now I spend most of my time at LSE and Central London-not making any defined effort to mingle among the London-Ugandan Scenes. I’ve become a full sell out. My accent has become increasingly English with no hint of having ever spoken some sort of Bantu Langauge. I’m so behind in the Afro-beats scene, I’m totally embarrassed. I’ve just lost touch with Africa even though I love it so much, it’s all become a collage of romanticized memories.

I’m going to Kampala, Uganda where I was born-I actually came to the UK when I was a  1 year old so my claim on being truly Ugandan has always had to be defended,  he he but I’m more relaxed about that now.

Research topic (kindly sponsored by the LSE Anthropology Department’s project Anthropology Outreach) :Youth Culture and alcohol in Kampala is the title of my research project for 5 weeks- So I’m basically going clubbing and bar-hopping, listening to gossip, old folk tales, observing behaviours and typing up anecdotes for fun haha! FYI I’m studying Law and Anthropology.  Killing a couple of birds with one stone by seeing my HUGE amount of family members, possibly jumping the border to Kenya for a weekend, and re-affirming the Ugandan and African side of my identity and being a good student…I hope.

I’ve been anxious about going. I know I’m going to be faced with the reality of seeing people suffering. I always think about what things would have been like if my parents did not come to London. Where would I be sleeping, would I even have a bed to sleep on? It’s times like that I remind myself that God ordained this life path and circumstances, and will continue to do so. I just have to keep working hard and stay humble. This will be a humbling experience.

I will b Bloggin and Vlogging while I’m out there, but for now preparations are in order. I might even do a bit of a food blogging while I’m out there inspired my Friend Tiffany who has this AMAZING food BLOG!

I Do love South Africa so Do not get me wrong. Here’s a Slice of SA house music. enjoy

Moroccan ‘Pharmacy’

Mmmmm Moroccan Dreamzzz! But before that I want to fill you in on a Gem I found performing intimately at my University earlier this month.

Her name is Rhian Benson (click here for her website), Ghanaian Soul and Jazz singer songwriter and she was hypnotizing. AND beautiful

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Which pigeonhole stereotype can I stuff you in…the dreamer? the ‘go-getter’? or do you ride the ‘Go with the Flow’ train’ graciously stumbling upon opportunities and so-called luck related circumstances?

Wild guess. You’re so unique, and/or have a rainbow personality that doesn’t adhere to stereotypes set by ‘the man’ lol; furthermore a pigeonhole could not handle just how outside-of-the-box you really are. If your answer is yes I’m rooting for you and your just like me because I’m pretty sure that I am ‘All of the Above’. But I could be wrong and you may have no ambition>>> Being Unambitious (this blog post link may be for you).

Just me

If there is one thing that I am sure of in my short 22 years of life, it is that I AM GOING TO SUCCEED and go beyond my own expectations. I PROMISE YOU. This want, this NEED, this eventuality is so embedded in my bones that I’m blinded by it. In fact I’m so intensely obsessed with it. This kind of  desperation is Scary stuff! HA! But clearly I’m sure we can agree that you define your own success – my theoretical interpretation of success will unveil itself through this blog so stay tuned I’m so passionate It Is Emotional but just to kick things off….

 the F-word (failure) is banned. key to failure is fear.

I call for you to grasp your talents by the neck and develop, develop, make some mistakes and develop some more.

Find inspiration. Disregard self-doubt.  ALWAYS question your motives!